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TEN sacks Helen Kapalos

“We will not be renewing Helen’s contract," TEN says of its Melbourne News presenter.

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TEN News Melbourne presenter Helen Kapalos is the latest to have been given her marching orders by management.

A TEN spokesperson told TV Tonight, “We will not be renewing Helen’s contract, the details of which we will not discuss publicly.”

A string of journalists and News staff were being forced to take redundancies after the network reportedly didn’t receive enough voluntary redundancies. The network has declined to comment on the total number of people affected, rumoured to be around 100.

Kapalos has been with TEN since 2006, fronting the 5pm news with veteran presenter Mal Walden or in a  solo capacity.

Last night she tweeted:

-Am taking a little break…. but the very competent, bubbly @meldavies10 is filling for me… see you soon….

-Watch out for http://www.helenkapalos.com.au – my blog goes live on Sunday. I will be chatting to you from the Big Apple.

It’s certainly disappointing that so much knowledge and experience is being lost at TEN (Breakfast remains untouched) but even the way TEN is commenting on this leaves a lot to be desired.

In the “old” TEN style such a departure would have acknowledged Kapalos’ achievements, explained the cost cuts and wished her well. But the network has lost its former Programming Chief and Head of Publicity as it adopts a hardline approach to public statements from Sydney. As a result, 6 years of work (and ratings) is apparently summed up with just 16 words.

Harsh. Very harsh is this new TEN.

53 Responses

  1. Ten needs to get rid of all of its programs beginning with ‘B’ – Breakfast, Bolt, Ben and Kate, The Bew Bormal…. altho’ I bet they’re regretting letting Big Brother go.

  2. Sheryl Taylor, Paul Cochrane, Gabrielle Boyle all sacked in Sydney. Eddie Meyer, Jacqui Maddock took voluntary redundancy. That’s a wealth of experience gone from the Ten canvas.

    Bill Woods was reported earlier to have also been sacked but those reports are now being denied by Ten.

  5. They’ve not only lost reporters, but also some fantastic producers and talented cameramen/editors in the cull.

    An announcement will be made regarding Breakfast on Monday. It will be off the air before Christmas…

  9. It was announced that 500 people will be sacked by Qantas before Christmas. I’m not sure why we’re so concerned about a newsreader not having their contract renewed?

  10. Helen was one of the main reasons I watched 10 news.This is woeful and typical .It certainly pays at 10 to have extreme right wing views like Henry, and Bolt if you want to keep your low rating job at 10.
    Please 10 sack Bolt and Henry if you want any credibility because these two are the worst performers you have as far as being entertaining or watchable.

  11. It should be interesting to see if they replace her with another presenter or just promote one of the currents reporters to reader, otherwise Mal will be a bit lonely at that desk by himself.

    Hopefully by how you said ‘will not be renewing Helen’s contract’ means that she will still return and be on air for some time, in which TEN might change their decision.

  14. “how is 10′s share price going?”

    Reached a high of 29 cents yesterday. When James Packer made his initial raid and sparked all this change it was around $1.50

  15. I’m absolutely stunned!
    It makes no sense at all!
    Helen & Mal were a good team!

    Ten have lost the plot completely!!!

    Especially keeping Paul Henry & Andrew Bolt!!!

    Good Luck with whatever you do in the future, Helen.

  16. Ten tried to go head to head with 7 and 9 for Breakfast and News and Current Affairs because that is what is working at the moment. As third entrant during competitive times apart from 5pm news they had an epic fail and now have to fix up the mess.

    They are going to have to let go hundreds of people.

  17. Stunned. Ten haven’t a clue. Sacking some of their best presenters and journalists while the likes of Paul Henry and Andrew Bolt remain is disgraceful.

    Hopefully Helen is snapped up fast. 7 Melbourne, grab her.

  18. Not a good time to be at ten. The hard workers on good, decent rating, or potential rating shows seem to be battling through cost cuts. (ten news, project circle). yet ten are still wasting so much money on the rubbish, barely watched, no potential ‘Breakfast’ and Paul Henry. The workers on The Project, ect. have every right to be offended.

  19. Bad call Ten. Kapolos and Walden were great together.

    I understand cost-cutting is necessary, but if you sack too much of the on-screen talent than the audience will be less likely to watch.

  20. Helen is super professional and an engaging newsreader. Channel 10 have not made one right decision in 12 months so why is this surprising. Another terrible decision from an inept and vision less management. By the way how is 10’s share price going?

  22. Very sad. The best female news presenter TEN Melbourne has had in 24 years. Does this mean Ten Wil go with single presenters in all markets. Bad move if it does. It was tens point of difference.

  24. I am sorry to see her go and in what seems such a cruel fashion. The ratings were good and she was a very competent Newsreader. Ten management have certainly lost the plot and appear incapable of making wise designs. TV is a tough environment, but having personally survived it for over 40 years I know it does have it’s human side, but none of those humans seem to be at 10.

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